U.S. patent application number 10/064611 was filed with the patent office on 2003-12-04 for ink storage unit.
Invention is credited to Hou, I-Chung, Hsu, Cheng-Wei.
Application Number | 20030222956 10/064611 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 28789184 |
Filed Date | 2003-12-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030222956 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Hou, I-Chung ; et
al. |
December 4, 2003 |
Ink storage unit
Abstract
An ink storage unit comprises an ink tank that defines an inner
confinement space in which is placed an ink storage body to store
and retain ink. The ink tank includes an air inlet through which
air passage in the ink tank is enabled, and an ink outlet through
which ink output is achieved. An outer surface of the ink storage
body includes a plurality of notches distributed along an interface
between the ink storage body and the ink tank, thereby forming a
plurality of gaps that locally separate the outer surface of the
ink storage body from the sidewall of the ink tank. Alternatively,
the ink storage body is comprised of a first ink storage portion
that is separated from a second ink storage portion via a spacing
member. Ink flowing and leakage through the air inlet is thereby
prevented.
Inventors: |
Hou, I-Chung; (Hsinchu,
TW) ; Hsu, Cheng-Wei; (Tai-Nan County, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JIANQ CHYUN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OFFICE
7 FLOOR-1, NO. 100
ROOSEVELT ROAD, SECTION 2
TAIPEI
100
TW
|
Family ID: |
28789184 |
Appl. No.: |
10/064611 |
Filed: |
July 31, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
347/86 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B41J 2/17513
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
347/86 |
International
Class: |
B41J 002/175 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 31, 2002 |
TW |
91208003 |
Claims
1. An ink storage unit, comprising: an ink tank, defining an inner
confinement space limited by at least an inner sidewall, and
further provided with an air inlet and an ink outlet, the air inlet
enabling an external air to enter the confinement space and the ink
outlet enabling an ink to be outputted out of the confinement
space; and an ink storage body, received in the confinement space
of the ink tank, the ink storage body being comprised of a first
end portion approximately close to the air inlet and a second end
portion relatively farther from the air inlet, wherein an outer
surface of the ink storage body is provided with a plurality of
notches that are distributed along an interface between the outer
surface of the ink storage body and the inner sidewall of the ink
tank, thereby the outer surface of the ink storage body locally
does not contact with the inner sidewall of the ink tank.
2. The ink storage unit of claim 1, wherein the air inlet is
substantially spaced away from the ink outlet.
3. The ink storage unit of claim 1, wherein the notches are
respectively formed from circular recesses that run around the
outer surface of the ink storage body.
4. The ink storage unit of claim 1, wherein the ink storage body is
formed from a porous material.
5. The ink storage unit of claim 4, wherein the porous material
includes a sponge.
6. The ink storage unit of claim 4, wherein the porous material
includes a fabric.
7. An ink storage unit, comprising: an ink tank, defining an inner
confinement space limited by at least an inner sidewall, and
further provided with an air inlet and an ink outlet, the air inlet
enabling an external air to enter the confinement space and the ink
outlet enabling an ink to be outputted out of the confinement
space; and an ink storage body, received within the confinement
space, the ink storage body being comprised of: a first ink storage
portion, placed approximately close to the air inlet; a second ink
storage portion, placed approximately close to the ink outlet; and
a spacing member, placed between the first and second ink storage
portions to separate the first ink storage portion from the second
ink storage portion.
8. The ink storage unit of claim 7, wherein the air inlet is
substantially spaced away from the ink outlet.
9. The ink storage unit of claim 7, wherein the spacing member is
comprised of a plurality of ribs that oppositely abut the first and
second ink storage portions.
10. The ink storage unit of claim 7, wherein the first ink storage
portion has a capillary effect that is higher than that of the
second ink storage portion.
11. The ink storage unit of claim 7, wherein a pore density of the
first ink storage portion is higher than that of the second ink
storage portion.
12. The ink storage unit of claim 7, wherein the first ink storage
portion is made of a porous material.
13. The ink storage unit of claim 12, wherein the porous material
includes a sponge.
14. The ink storage unit of claim 12, wherein the porous material
includes a fabric.
15. The ink storage unit of claim 7, wherein the second ink storage
portion is made of a porous material.
16. The ink storage unit of claim 15, wherein the porous material
includes a sponge.
17. The ink storage unit of claim 15, wherein the porous material
includes a fabric.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan
application serial no. 91208003, filed on May 31, 2002.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The invention relates generally to an ink storage unit and,
more particularly, to an ink storage unit that can prevent reverse
ink flowing causing ink leakage.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Due to its advanced development, inkjet printing technology
is broadly implemented in many types of printing apparatuses such
as printers or facsimile machines. Inkjet printing technology
principally consists of an inkjet print head that produces a high
pressure to eject ink droplets out of the print head on the printed
document, thereby forming an ink point thereon. By an adequate
disposition of the numerous ink points on the printed documents,
characters or graphics hence are formed. To continuously supply the
inkjet print head with ink, an ink storage unit is traditionally
used to store ink.
[0006] To prevent ink leakage out of the ink storage unit, a method
of the prior art uses a pressure regulator that is disposed within
an ink tank of the ink storage unit. The pressure regulator
adequately regulates a pressure differential between the interior
and the exterior of the ink tank by creating a negative pressure
that keeps the ink from leaking out. Another method known in the
prior art is to arrange an ink storage body made of porous material
such as sponge or fabric within the ink tank. Via capillary action
of the porous ink storage body, the ink can be stored and retained
within the ink tank.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a sectional view that schematically illustrates
the construction of an ink storage unit known in the prior art. As
illustrated, a traditional ink storage unit 100 principally
comprises an ink tank 110 that defines a confinement space 112 in
which an ink storage body 120 is placed. The ink storage body 120
is made of a porous material such as sponge that enables to store
and retain ink within the ink tank 110 by capillary action. The ink
tank 110 further includes an ink outlet 114 at a lower side to
output ink to an ink-ejecting member 300. An upper side of the ink
tank 110 is further provided with an air inlet 116 through which
air is enabled to penetrate the confinement space 112 of the ink
tank 110. While the ink is outputted through the ink outlet 114,
the external air simultaneously penetrates into the ink tank 110
through the air inlet 116 so as to achieve an adequate pressure
balance of the confinement space 112 with respect to the external
pressure. Ink output through the ink outlet 114 can be thereby
sustained to supply the ink-ejecting member 300.
[0008] The introduction of ink within the ink tank 110 is usually
achieved via ink injection by means of a syringe inserted through
the air inlet 116 to the lower half of the ink storage body 120.
However, ink stored in the ink storage body 120 may flow along the
interface 130 between the outer surface of the ink storage body 120
and the inner sidewall of the ink tank and leak out through the air
inlet 116. Therefore, the prior art further disposes a notch 121 on
the outer surface of the ink storage body 120 facing the air inlet
116. The outer surface of the ink storage body 120 at that location
is thereby separated a higher distance from the air inlet 116. Ink
flowing through the interface 130 thus cannot contact with the air
inlet 116 at the location of the notch 121 and, consequently, ink
leakage is prevented.
[0009] However, the above disposition becomes deficient when the
ink storage unit 100 is subject to significant external shaking,
and ink leakage through the air inlet 116 hence still occurs.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0010] An aspect of the invention is therefore to provide an ink
storage unit that can effectively prevent ink leakage through the
air inlet.
[0011] To accomplish the above and other objectives, an ink storage
unit of the invention comprises an ink tank that defines an inner
confinement space in which is placed an ink storage body to store
and retain ink. The ink tank respectively includes an air inlet
through which air passage into the ink tank is enabled, and an ink
outlet through which ink output is achieved. The ink storage body
is comprised of a first end portion approximately close to the air
inlet and a second end portion approximately close to the ink
outlet and relatively farther from the air inlet. An outer surface
of the ink storage body includes a plurality of notches distributed
along an interface between the ink storage body and the ink tank,
thereby forming a plurality of gaps that locally separate the outer
surface of the ink storage body from the sidewall of the ink tank
to cut off ink flowing there along.
[0012] In accordance with the above objectives of the invention,
the ink storage body is alternatively comprised of a first ink
storage portion separated from a second ink storage portion via a
spacing member. The first ink storage portion is placed
approximately close to the air inlet and the second ink storage
portion is placed approximately close to the ink outlet and
relatively farther from the air inlet. The spacing member creates a
spacing gap between the first and second ink storage portions so
that reverse ink flowing causing ink leakage through the air inlet
is prevented.
[0013] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are exemplary,
and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as
claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0014] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further
understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate
embodiments of the invention and, together with the description,
serve to explain the principles of the invention. In the
drawings,
[0015] FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a traditional ink
storage unit of the prior art;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating an ink storage unit
according to an embodiment of the invention; and
[0017] FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating an ink storage unit
according to another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] The following detailed description of the embodiments and
examples of the present invention with reference to the
accompanying drawings is only illustrative and not limiting.
Wherever possible in the following description and accompanying
drawings, like reference numerals and symbols will refer to like
elements and parts unless otherwise described.
[0019] Referring to FIG. 2, a sectional view schematically
illustrates the construction of an ink storage unit according to an
embodiment of the invention. As illustrated, an ink storage unit
200 of the invention principally comprises an ink tank 210 that
defines an inner confinement space 212 in which is disposed an ink
storage body 220. The ink storage body 220 is preferably made of a
porous material such as sponge or fabric. The inner pores of the
ink storage body 220 are used to absorb and retain ink by capillary
action. A lower side of the ink tank 210 is provided with an ink
outlet 214 through which the ink is conducted out of the
confinement space to an ink-ejecting member 300. An upper side of
the ink storage unit 200 is further provided with an air inlet 216
through which an external air is enabled to enter within the
confinement space 212. Hence, when a portion of ink is outputted
through the ink outlet 214, external air gas simultaneously enters
the confinement space 212 to achieve an adequate pressure balance
with the exterior environment. The ink output through the ink
outlet 214 to the ink-ejecting member 300 can be thereby
sustained.
[0020] To prevent ink leakage through the air inlet 216, usually
caused by an ink flow along an interface 230 between the ink
storage body 220 and an inner sidewall of the ink tank 210, a
plurality of notches 221b are formed on the ink storage body 220.
More particularly, the notches 221b are distributed along the outer
surface of the ink storage body 220 at first and second end
portions 220a, 220b thereof. The first end portion 220a designates
a portion of the ink storage body 220 that is approximately close
to the air inlet 216, and the second end portion 220b designates a
portion of the ink storage body 220 that is approximately close to
the ink outlet 214 and relatively farther from the air inlet 216.
The disposition of notches 221b hence creates a distribution of
gaps 232 that cut off the continuity of the interface 230 to the
air inlet 216. Via adequate geometry, curvature and depth of the
gaps 232, the ink flowing path along the interface 230 is
lengthened meanwhile the progression of ink flow is hampered.
Reverse ink flow causing leakage through the air inlet 216 is
thereby substantially reduced. An adequate geometry of the gaps 232
may be, for example, a circular recess that runs around the outer
surface of the ink storage body 220 from the first portion 220a to
the second end portion 220b.
[0021] Referring to FIG. 3, a sectional view schematically
illustrates the construction of an ink storage unit according to
another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, an ink
storage unit 202 similarly includes an ink tank 210 that defines an
inner confinement space 212. In the confinement space 212 is
disposed an ink storage body 222 that is comprised of a first
storage portion 222a, a second storage portion 222b, and a spacing
member 222c. The first storage portion 222a is placed close to the
air inlet 216 while the second storage portion 222b is placed close
to the ink outlet 214 and relatively farther from the air inlet
216. The spacing member 222c is arranged between the first storage
portion 222a and the second storage portion 222b so as to separate
both portions 222a, 222b from each other.
[0022] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the spacing member 222c may be
formed from, for example, a plurality of ribs that oppositely abut
against the first and second ink storage portions 222a, 222b,
thereby creating a spacing gap there between. As a result, ink
initially stored in the second ink storage portion 222b is
effectively prevented from reversely flowing to the first ink
storage portion 222a and leaking out through the air inlet 216. It
should be noticed that since the first ink storage portion 222a is
not principally used to store an important amount of ink, materials
of smaller pore density (such as smaller-pore-density sponge or
fabric), more economical, can be therefore advantageously used to
fabricate the first ink storage portion 222a.
[0023] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a notch 221a in FIG. 2 and
notch 221b in FIG. 3 placed vis--vis the air inlet 216 as
conventionally achieved may be further associated with the
distribution of gaps of the invention to further efficiently
prevent ink leakage through the air inlet 216.
[0024] As described above, the invention therefore provides an ink
storage unit that effectively prevents ink leakage through the air
inlet due to ink flowing along the interface between the ink tank
and the ink storage body received therein. For this purpose, an
embodiment of the invention provides an ink storage body that is
comprised of a plurality of notches formed on an outer surface
thereof. The disposition of notches hence forms a distribution of
gaps along the interface between the ink storage body and the ink
tank that lengthens the ink flowing path to the air inlet and
further hampers the progression of ink flow. Another embodiment of
the invention provides an ink storage body that is comprised of
first and second ink storage portions separated from each other via
a spacing member placed there between, the first ink storage
portion being close to the air inlet while the second ink storage
portion being close to the ink outlet. The above spacing member
creates a spacing gap between the first ink storage portion and the
second ink storage portion that effectively prevents ink leakage to
the air inlet.
[0025] It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that other
structures that are obtained from various modifications and
variations of various parts of the above-described embodiments of
the invention would be possible without departing from the scope
and spirit of the invention as illustrated herein. Therefore, the
above description of embodiments and examples only illustrates
specific ways of making and performing the invention that,
consequently, should cover variations and modifications thereof,
provided they fall within the inventive concepts as defined in the
following claims.
* * * * *